It is known from, for example, GB-A 2,325,620 to provide a head restraint for a motor vehicle that is moveable between a raised or stowed position in which the head restraint lies adjacent to a roof panel of the motor vehicle and a lowered position in which the head restraint is positioned above the backrest of a seat for use by a passenger of the vehicle seated upon the seat. The head restraint is physically moved from its raised or lowered positions by an occupant of the motor vehicle by releasing a latch used to hold the head restraint in its two positions.
It is an object of this invention to provide a motor vehicle having stowable front and rear roofs with one or more head restraints that are automatically stowed before either of the roofs is moved fully into its stowed position.
According to the invention, there is provided a motor vehicle having front and rear stowable roof panels moveable between raised and lowered positions and at least one seat assembly having a backrest, an automatically stowable head restraint rotatably supported by the rear roof panel for movement between a stowed position in which the head restraint lies adjacent an inside surface of the rear roof panel and an in use position in which the head restraint is positioned above the backrest of the seat assembly, a biasing means to bias the head restraint into the stowed position and a latch mechanism to selectively hold the head restraint in the lowered position wherein the latch mechanism is released by the process of lowering one of the front and rear roof panels so as to permit the head restraint to move to its stowed position.
The motor vehicle may have front and rear rows of seats and the rear roof panel when in the lowered position may be stowed between the front and rear rows of seats.
The motor vehicle may have front and rear rows of seats and each of the seats in the rear row of seats having a head restraint may have an automatically stowable head restraint.
The latch mechanism may be released by a linkage connected to part of the mechanism used to raise and lower the front roof panel.
Alternatively, the latch mechanism may be released by a linkage connected to part of the mechanism used to raise and lower the rear roof panel.
As yet another alternative, the latch mechanism may be released by a linkage connected to part of a locking mechanism used to hold the front and rear roof panels together when they are both in their respective raised positions.
The linkage may be one of a cable linkage, a rod linkage, a chain linkage and a fluid connection.
As yet a further alternative, the latch mechanism may be an electro-mechanical latch mechanism and may be connected to an electronic controller used to control the raising and lowering of at least one of the front and rear roof panels and the electronic controller may be operable to release the latch mechanism so as to permit the head restraint to move to its stowed position when a signal is received indicative that at least one of the front and rear roof panels is in the process of being moved to its lowered position.